HCMC – The number of seasonal job openings at HCMC’s job placement centers is rising in the lead up to the Lunar New Year (Tet) holiday but wages remain almost unchanged.

The Youth Job Center has announced around 1,500 job openings for Tet. However, it is hard to find those willing to work due to a meager year-on-year rise of 10% in wages.

Though companies have set lower employment criteria, employees are nowhere to be found at the moment. Average salary for an eight-hour shift ranges from VND120,000 to VND160,000, which does not satisfy workers.

Demand for seasonable employees during Tet is up against normal days, mainly for positions of salesperson, deliveryman and security guards, according to the HCMC Job Placement Center.

Enterprises in the city need around 75,000 workers, including 20,000 seasonable ones, said the HCMC Center of Forecasting Manpower Needs and Labor Market Information.

The sectors with high demand for seasonable workers include retail, customer services and delivery and account for 70% of total demand, and the remainder is in the hospitality and supporting services sectors.

Companies in industrial parks need some 18,000 workers in the last quarter but the number of applicants for the jobs is inconsiderable, said the job center of the HCMC export processing and industrial zones authority.